This invention relates generally to fasteners and particularly relates to fasteners which are used to fasten two members together wherein at least one of the members is accessible from both sides.
Many fastener designs exist and can generally be segregated into two categories--fasteners which must operate in environments wherein the fastener is not accessible from one of its sides and fasteners which can be accessed from both sides. The former calls for a fastener such as a pop rivet, a wood screw or any other fastener which can be manipulated from one, and only one, of its ends to accomplish its fastening task. The latter type fastener includes a traditional nut and bolt and the like.
In applications where it is desirable to join a member to a panel, wherein the panel is accessible from both sides, it is often desirable to use a fastener which floats or is otherwise movable within a panel aperture. This floating feature is particularly desirable when both halves of the fastener must be initially fastened to their respective members which themselves are fixed, or aligned with one another, in a predefined relationship (such as by a hinge or the like). In such cases, if the members are not perfectly pre-aligned the fastener halves will not properly mate when brought together for fastening. This precise pre-alignment is unnecessary if one of the fasteners is free to float thereby aligning itself with its mating half when the two are brought together.
It is also desirable to have a fastener which can be connected and disconnected to and from its respective mating half without necessitating the use of specialized tools. This is particularly relevant in applications where a portion of the fastener is difficult to access or where frequent fastening and unfastening is common (such as fasteners used on doors, etc.). Fasteners which can be released by hand also have the additional benefit of reducing maintenance time/cost where the fastener is used in an environment where a skilled technician or the like must first separate members joined together by the fastener to access an item to be serviced.
It is also desirable, in some applications, to have a fastener which possesses a plurality of locking positions. Such a fastener may be used in applications where the thickness of material located between the two fastener halves is uncertain or subject to wide variation. Further, it is often desirable to have a fastener with replaceable parts, especially those parts which tend to wear quickly. In such a case, if the wear prone parts are field replaceable, they can be serviced in the field. In cases where the fastener is not constructed with serviceable parts, the entire fastener, or perhaps the fastener and associated members, must be removed and discarded and a new ones installed.
It is an object of this invention to provide a self-aligning fastener which floats within a panel opening to thereby accommodate misalignments between the panel and the member to be fastened thereto.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a fastener which fastens and unfastens with simple hand tools.
It is yet an additional object of this invention to provide a fastener which has field replaceable components, especially those components which are prone to wear.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a fastener which can be used to fasten a seat insert to a seat shell which has the above features.